MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A man was arrested Tuesday night in connection with a possible hate crime that is under investigation after graffiti was drawn on a sign at a Miami Beach synagogue.
According to the police report filed early Tuesday morning, an anonymous caller reported the man, who was spotted outside Temple Emanu-El at 1701 Washington Ave.
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Police found various drawings on the sign, including a swastika, the letters "KKK" and the number 33.
"I think he's just somebody who's seriously messed up in the head," Glenn Gillingham told Local 10 News.
Maximo de la Cruz-DeJesus, 43, was taken to the Miami Beach Police Department after police were able to match his fingerprints with ones found at the crime scene and a witness positively identified him.
The witness saw Cruz-DeJesus place graffiti on a banner that was affixed to the synagogue. According to the arrest affidavit, the amount of damage caused by the graffiti was $258.
Gillingham works as a security guard at the synagogue. He said he believes it was a spontaneous act.
"It didn't look like it was a planned thing," Gillingham said of the surveillance video that allegedly showed Cruz-DeJesus walk the steps and approach the sign.
Marc Phillipe, a rabbi at Temple Emanu-El, said the incident follows another recent act of hatred there.
"Two weeks ago, we had a hatred(-filled) letter left in our restrooms," Phillipe said. "The motive is hatred."
Cruz-DeJesus was arrested without incident and faces a charge of criminal mischief to a church or place of worship. Police said detectives have asked he be held for magistrate.
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